Tex. Lawmakers Reach Accord on Overhaul of Education Laws

Texas lawmakers agreed last week on a vastly revamped set of state
education laws that scales back the education department's authority
and gives school districts the power to make their own rules.

A House-Senate conference committee approved a version of Senate
Bill 1 after two weeks of negotiations. Aides said it could be taken up
in either chamber this week.

The bill creates several new classes of schools for Texas
administrators, educators, and entrepreneurs to consider. Districts
could apply for "home rule" charters that would free them from most
state mandates.

They could also seek a "campus program" charter, which would be
exempt from some state regulations. The bill also would create or allow
creation of up to 20 separate charter schools, free from some state
regulations and organized by groups or individuals outside the existing
school system.

The bill, introduced earlier this year by Sen. Bill Ratliff, would
accomplish the sponsor's goal of forcing a fundamental change in the
school power structure in Texas, the nation's second-largest state
school system.

The conference committee shelved a school-voucher plan after failing
to agree on the concept of allowing state money to subsidize private
school tuition. In exchange, Mr. Ratliff was able to keep class-size
regulations from being applied to home-rule districts.

In the conference committee's bill, only home-rule districts with
low academic performance would have to meet the state's 22-to-1
student-teacher ratio in kindergarten through the 4th grade.

Easing No-Pass, No-Play

During the proceedings, Mr. Ratliff predicted that the overall
reduction in regulation might actually make the home-rule charters less
attractive to Texas administrators. Freeing them from state rules in
purchasing buses and textbooks and in dividing the school day or
teaching courses could remove any desire to seek even further freedom,
he said.

The conference bill also would:

Establish end-of-course exams in required high school algebra,
biology, English, and American-history courses. Students who passed
the exams would be exempt from the state's exit-level Texas
Assessment of Academic Skills, which all students must now pass to
graduate.

Revise the state's no-pass, no-play law to require students who are
failing at least one course to be suspended from competition for
three weeks. The current law carries a six-week suspension and bars
suspended athletes from practice.

Provide districts with three lists of textbooks to choose from: a
conforming list with books that met essential curriculum items, a
nonconforming list with books meeting some essentials, and an
open list. The state would pay the cost of books from the first
two lists and 70 percent of the cost of books from the open list.

Describe parents' rights, including publication of state tests
after they are given, access to written school records and
teaching materials, and mandatory parental consent before
students could be videotaped or participate in psychological
testing.

The conference bill would create a state board for educator
certification. Appointed by the governor, the board would have
authority over teacher qualifications, certification
requirements, continuing education, and discipline. The board
also would have veto power over any rules adopted by the state
school board.

Limiting the Agency

The certification board and the district-charter options are
among the most obvious signs of a de-clawed Texas Education
Agency.

The conference committee agreed to limit the department to
six basic responsibilities. Among them are recommending
education goals, granting campus charters, managing school
funds, and administering federal programs.

Training and assistance activities would shift from the
T.E.A. to the state's education-service centers, which would be
allowed to compete for contracts with districts across the
state.

Finally, the bill would create a network of alternative
schools and would make it both easier to remove violent and
disruptive students and harder for them to get back into their
old classrooms.

Gov. George W. Bush, who called for the home-rule districts
throughout his campaign last year, was also a supporter of the
voucher program. He said, however, that he will likely support
the bill that reaches his desk.

"This bill must empower local people, must encourage
innovation, must have strict accountability, must have a
concept of zero tolerance, and I believe it will," the
Republican Governor said. "I may not have 100 percent of what I
campaigned on in the bill, but if it adheres to those
principles, I will look upon it favorably."

Ground Rules for Posting
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.